Back to news
Brit man who vanished in Europe pictured as parents blast 'no contact' from Spanish cops
@Source: dailystar.co.uk
The worried parents of a Brit missing in Catalonia said they have had no contact from Spanish cops after officials called off the search for him last week. Matthew Chapman, 24, was reported missing by his family in Manchester on April 30. Police and firefighters subsequently launched a two-day search involving a helicopter and drones. However, the operation was called off late on Thursday (May 21) after they were unable to find the young man from Doncaster. He had initially set off from the UK to Europe in a van, which was later found abandoned near Tossa de Mar, around 60 miles north of Barcelona. His parents, Jane and Andrew Chapman, said they weren't even aware of the search operation or the discovery of their son's vehicle. Instead they found out through local media reports. “We thought he was sleeping in his van, so that’s caused more angst. We were in the hope that he was just touring Europe and that when he ran out of money he’d be a bit sheepish and get back in touch with his tail between his legs," Jane was reported as saying in the Times . She added: “I haven’t had any correspondence from the Spanish police at all. I hope they won’t leave any stone unturned.” Local media reported that investigators had found Matthew travelled to France on May 1 on the Eurotunnel. He is then believed to have spent time in Portugal and Spain before his mobile phone signal petered out near the Catalan resort. A spokeswoman for the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police force confirmed last week that a two-day search for the missing Brit had been organised. She added: “It was a land, sea and air search which took place on Wednesday and Thursday. The investigation into the missing man’s whereabouts is continuing.” Officers are thought to be keeping an open mind on what could have happened to Matthew, although it currently remains unclear what Catalan police are now doing in their investigation. The Mossos d’Esquadra force also led the search into rugby player and X Factor star Levi Davis’ disappearance in Barcelona, who remains missing to this day. The last confirmed sighting of Levi was of him leaving an Irish pub in the Catalan capital on the night of October 29 2022 after taking a boat from Ibiza with just £35 in his pocket and no change of clothes. The port search and another in the Llobregat Delta, one of Catalonia’s most important wetland zones near Barcelona where police said at the time that sea currents could have taken his body or items of clothing, failed to yield any clues. They were organised after four members of cruise liner MSC Bellissima, which docked in Barcelona around eight hours after the pub CCTV sighting, said they had seen a man in the sea wearing the same light-coloured top that Levi had on and was heard shouting for help in English. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
Related News
01 Apr, 2025
‘Very Satisfying To Win’ Har . . .
28 Mar, 2025
UAE’s PDSI Group eyes $2.6bn golf, servi . . .
05 Apr, 2025
Real Madrid 1-2 Valencia: Los Blancos pl . . .
20 Mar, 2025
Hastings’ Maddison Seumanutafa balancing . . .
20 Apr, 2025
Spain Ambassador meets Odisha CM, discus . . .
20 Mar, 2025
Donald Trump's granddaughter hits rock b . . .
15 Mar, 2025
Nat Sciver-Brunt Becomes First Player To . . .
24 May, 2025
Pair of Exterior Lights